The Connors-MGB Research Collaborative for Women’s Health and Sex Differences

The Connors-MGB Research Collaborative for Women’s Health and Sex Differences, established originally in 2018 as a partnership between the Connors Center and the Brigham Research Institute, engages the talent and resources of a diverse group of MGB research faculty and trainees in the fields of women’s health and sex-informed medicine. Research led by Collaborative members across the MGB enterprise employs fundamental science, population health, as well as clinical and translational models to investigate disorders that affect women exclusively, predominantly, and differentially. Representing multiple disciplines across MGB, research includes the discovery and investigation of mechanisms that explain sex differences in morbidity and mortality, study of disorders specific to women, utilization of a lifespan perspective, including but not limited to a focus on reproductive transitions specific to women such as pregnancy, the menopause transition, and postmenopause.

The Collaborative represents the interests of its stakeholder community across MGB Research, hosts symposia on key research topics in women’s health and sex-informed medicine, sponsors educational seminars on related topics, partners with MGB affiliates (e.g. Brigham and Women’s Faulker Hospital, Mass General Hospital, Mass Eye and Ear Institute), and recognizes excellence in women’s health and sex-differentiated medicine research through awards at an annual Connors-MGB Research Collaborative Symposium.

This budget outlines the financial needs of the Connors-MGB Research Collaborative for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposal supports our commitment to hosting enterprise-wide educational events, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and promoting sex-differences research among investigators in the field of women’s health.

The mission of the Connors-MGB Research Collaborative for Women’s Health and Sex Differences is to improve the health of women and transform clinical care and prevention strategies.

To achieve this goal, the Collaborative works to stimulate and expand the community of researchers dedicated to the advancement of sex-informed science by:

1) fostering collaboration between investigators

2) disseminating the latest in MGB research on women’s health and sex-informed medicine

3) providing education, resources and connections with the broader community involved in this diverse field.

• Ana Babic, PhD – Instructor, Epidemiology, DFCI
• Deb Bartz, MD – Associate Professor, OB/GYN; Medicine, Women’s Health
• Shalender Bhasin, MB, BS – Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension
• Rachel Buckley, PhD – Research Fellow/Postdoc, Neurology, MGH
• Rona Carroll, PhD – Assistant Professor, Medicine
• Tanuja Chitnis, MD – Professor, Neurology
• Marianna Daibes Rachid de Andrade, MD – Fellow, Medicine, Cardiovascular; Radiology
• Nikki Haddad, MD – Psychiatry Resident Physician
• Ryan Harari, PhD – Research Scientist and Faculty, Emergency Medicine
• Elizabeth Henske, MD – Professor, Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
• Ursula Kaiser, MD – Professor, Medicine; Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension
• Tamara Kaplan, MD – Assistant Professor, Neurology
• Bharti Khurana, MD – Founder and Director, Trauma Imaging Research and Innovation Center; Associate Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
• Edward Kim, MD, MPH – Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery
• Vesela Kovacheva, MD, PhD – Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
• Meryl LeBoff, MD – Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension
• Cindy Lemere, PhD – Professor, Neurology
• Pamela Mahon, PhD – Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
• JoAnn Manson, DrPH, MD – Professor, Medicine
• Isabela Reis Marques, MD – Fellow, Medicine, Cardiovascular
• Mary O’Neal, MD – Assistant Professor, Neurology
• Richard Parad, MD – Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Newborn Medicine
• Jesse Poganik, PhD – Instructor, Medicine, Genetics
• Shadab Rahman, PhD – Assistant Professor, Medicine, Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Neuroscientist, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPH – Professor, Medicine; Chief, Division of Women’s Health; Co-Chair, Center for Women’s Health; Chief Academic Officer
• Janet Rich-Edwards, ScD – Associate Professor, Medicine
• Kevin Sanchez, PhD – Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Medicine, Women’s Health
• Ellen Seely, MD – Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension
• Rimi Sen, MD – Assistant Professor, Pediatric Newborn Medicine
• Camila Veronica Souza Freire, MD – Fellow, Medicine, Cardiology
• Primavera Spagnolo, MD, PhD – Associate Director, Connors Center for Women’s Health Research; Scientific Director, First.in.Women® Precision Medicine Platform
• Paula Voinescu, MD – Assistant Professor, Neurology

If you are interested in joining the working group or have questions about the Connors-MGB Research Collaborative on Women’s Health and Sex Differences, please reach out to us at via email or the interest form below:

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Check back here for information on our 2026 Connors-MGB Symposium!